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Saturday, 21 July 2012

English paper piecing: where to begin

This week two people (one of whom was Kate, so expect to see goodies from her in the near future!) wrote to me about English paper piecing (EPP) asking for some quick-start tips about where to begin, so I thought I may write a whole post about it. The summer holidays are here and EPP is a deliciously sociable and portable way to fit in some sewing while still spending time with family and friends. I'm relatively new to English paper piecing, but my learning curve has been made shorter and less painful by the kindness of people like Ruth, Katy, Lynne and Kerry, so I hope that they won't mind that some of their guidance is bound up within this post and being passed on. I write not as an expert, but someone who is relatively new to this and so remembers all the tiny things I had questions about myself.

What is English Paper Piecing?

English paper piecing is basically the process of wrapping fabric around paper to make crisply formed shapes to be sewn together by hand. Once sewn, the papers can be removed and a beautifully pieced patchwork is left from which to make cushions, quilts or anything else you can think of. Because it's hand sewn it is more fragile than patchwork produced on a machine, but with that fragility comes beauty and an intrinsic look of love and care apparent within the tiny just-visible stitches.

Fabric Choice

Fabric choice is important. Ruth talked to me about certain fabrics 'needling better'. Because of the open weave of a quilting cotton your needle is able to enter the fabric easily making it a perfect choice for EPP. Ruth said Liberty Tana Lawn (which I used in the cushion seen in some of the photos) was the rare alternative fabric that she'd found to quilting cotton that is also relatively easy to needle.

Having now worked with both, I'd say that quilting cotton definitely has the edge and the needle travels in and out with noticeable ease making your work faster, but the Tana Lawn is so beautiful that the results are definitely worth pursuing and I'll happily choose to use it again

If you want to follow a pattern, then I now have several patterns in my sidebar on the left (although obviously I didn't at the time when I originally wrote this post). However, if you want to do your own thing, this is a really easy option with EPP - you can download hexagons, squares, diamonds at triangles at Incompetech. It's up to you to decide on scale - you can paper piece with shapes as small or as big as you like. To give you an idea, 1" pieces are displayed in many of the projects seen in this post - these are slow but enjoyable to piece together: a more quickly-finished project may use pieces of 2.5".

With English paper piecing it's also easy to freestyle and create your own patterns...you can just cut out shapes and see how they look and fit together. Please excuse these gloomy photographs - I hadn't intended to share them here, so I was making no attempt to photograph them nicely at the time.

Paper Choice

Paper choice: you can buy pre-cut papers for your project (they're widely available from quilting shops, but Sew & Quilt has a good selection) or you can print them out on your own paper at home to save money. I chose to do the latter and found that using a relatively sturdy paper of about 120gsm has meant that I can use the papers several times over and it's thick enough to easily follow the outline of the shape when basting fabrics to it. Because you'll keep the papers in place until large sections have been pieced together, you'll need many, many paper pieces. Be prepared to spend a while cutting paper and, for new sewists, remember never to use your fabric scissors or rotary cutter on paper as it will blunt them horribly.

Creating shape templates

If you're using one of my patterns then you can ignore this bit, but if you're buying or printing paper shapes, read on. When EPP quilters talk about the size of a paper piece they generally refer to the length of one of the sides of the shape and not its diameter. So if I use 1" hexagons, then the length of the each side of the hexagon will measure 1".

When you're choosing sizes for EPP you don't need to think about seam allowances - those pieces of paper will slot together and butt up against one another exactly as they are. So obviously that means that if, as I did for my cushion where I chose to put 6-point stars made from diamonds interspersed with hexagons, then the edges of both the diamonds and hexagons used would both need to measure the same length for them to butt up to one another perfectly. Once you've printed your shapes, cutting with accuracy is really important - it will affect the ease with which you piece together your shapes.

Making the template for cutting fabrics

So, the paper pieces you've just cut will go inside your fabric, but your fabric needs to be cut a little bigger so as to wrap around the shape. You'll need to create one larger template from which to cut your fabrics. I use clear plastic to make my template - this means you can use it with a rotary cutter more easily and also see through it better if you wish to place part of the fabric's design in the centre of your shape (this is called fussy cutting). However, if you don't have any template plastic to hand, you can just as easily use a sturdy bit of card.

To make the template, simply make one of your paper pieces 1/4" bigger on all sides. You can happily use a ruler to do this, although if you have an acrylic grid ruler it's even easier. Use this single template to cut your fabric from.

Cutting the fabrics

You can use scissors or a rotary cutter to cut your shapes. Unless you're fussy cutting fabric, you can cut many at time. With a fresh blade, my rotary cutter will happily make it's way through six hexagons at a time, making quick work of cutting hundreds of hexagons.

Basting the fabrics around the papers

Before you can begin sewing shapes together, you'll need to secure the fabrics to the paper shapes. To do this you can either use large basting stitches (front view, back view) which can be removed afterwards or you can use fabric glue. I use Sewline fabric glue which Kerry recommended to me, as it's a quick option that allows you to get on with the fun of sewing proper.

However, some people (such as Katy) feel that basting is actually part of the fun of the slow, meditative process that is EPP, so don't discount it just because it takes longer. It's also better in certain situations. On a rare, hot day I took my EPP outside and found that in the intensity of the sun my glue began to melt and a few of my papers fell out before I hastily retreated inside, so if you're taking your sewing with you on holiday you may wish to think about this.

Wrapping the fabric around the paper

To wrap the fabric around the paper, place a paper template in the centre on the wrong side of your fabric shape. Then neatly fold the edges inward. When I'm glue basting a hexagon I tend to glue one side and then glue its opposite side, until all are stuck down, whereas if I'm thread basting I tend to work around the shape one side at a time.

A hexagon is an easy shape to create - all sides are simply stuck down. Whereas when covering the diamonds to be used in my 6-point stars, Katy memorably told me to 'let the dog's ears wag' meaning that I should leave the ears of the fabric unstuck.

Thinking about thread

I use either Superior Threads Bottom Line thread or Wonderfil's DecoBobs. Both a incredibly fine and strong. I've written much more about threads for EPP, here - do go and have a read.

Thinking about needles

In my hurry to begin I started piecing with a regular hand-sewing needle. However, I've since written at great length about needle choice, here.

Types of stitches

You should use a whip stitch for EPP (I've tried a ladder stitch and found it wasn't strong enough). You can find many tutorials on YouTube if you're not sure of how to do it.

When I first started EPP I became slightly obsessed with how many stitches per inch one should be making 'to do things properly'. Actually, there is no 'properly' and it's all about personal preference and what feels good to you. But just in case there are any control freaks out there who, like me, still want a rough guide, I use about 20 - 25 stitches per inch. I now think this is at the higher end of what's necessary and I know others who use about 15 per inch and their piecing is perfectly sturdy.

How to sew it together

To sew, simply place the wrapped pieces face-to-face and stitch along the edge, stitching through the fabric that runs along the edge of the paper piece, being careful not to sew through the paper itself. It's careful work and the more care you take the less visible your stitches will be. However, it's also meant to be relaxing and enjoyable and when I went to the quilting exhibition at the V&A museum a few years ago one of the things that made me feel slightly weepy was seeing the visible, fragile stitches; the imperfections; and the sign of human hand within the stunning quilts - so don't ruin your enjoyment striving for perfection - English paper piecing creates work with an heirloom feel where there's little wrong with leaving tiny traces of your own presence.

If you're not following a pattern, where it will advise you on this, bear in mind that it's easier for you to avoid having to sew together deep 'v' seams. Often, you can avoid them simply by breaking your work into oddly shaped sections that keep the seam lines to be sewn relatively gentle (this will only make sense once you begin working on larger areas, so don't feel stressed if you can't comprehend quite what I'm saying here).

If you feel stuck with how to piece two shapes together, butt them up against one another in the way you wish for them to look and work backwards. Often you'll sew one seam and then twist it into another place to sew the other side of the shape - you don't need to tackle both sides at the same time (as you often would when you're working on a machine, pinning everything into place beforehand. In fact no pins are needed - you can hold it in place with your fingers as you sew). Know that you can bend and gently fold your shapes and sometimes this will be necessary to be able to sew the seam needed.

Clever tricks

Ruth (who, as well as creating her own lovely work, is also a technical editor on many of Kaffe Fassett's books) has kindly passed on many clever tricks while I've been beginning my adventure with EPP and I hope that she won't mind me sharing some of her insight here. As a new English paper piecer, when it came to sewing diamonds together to make the star below, I began by stitching each diamond together in turn. This meant that by the time I reached the sixth diamond I had a deep 'V' seam to negotiate (I don't actually mind these, but it's easier if you don't have to tackle them) and it also meant that I was left with a very tiny, but irksome, hole at the centre of the star.

Ruth showed me that by assembling the star first as two halves, using three diamonds on each side, I could avoid the deep 'V' seam and simply place the two halves of the star together and join them sewing along one straight, easy-to-sew seam running across the centre of the star, eliminating that irksome hole that formed in the middle.

Not only was this an invaluable trick, it also taught me a lot about English paper piecing in general. That is, to look for the way of piecing things together which keeps the seam lines simple, even though it may not feel intuitive at first sight.

Storage

You'll quickly find that you need somewhere to store it all. I don't like tins as they're hard to store and rattle in my handbag, but if I'm piecing in the garden then I do put everything in a tin to prevent it from blowing away.

However, most of the time it's stored in a series of small bags and if certain fabrics have been paired with one another then I hold them together with paper clips.

I'm currently working on making something to store it all in that will slot into my handbag easily and keep all the different bits of paraphernalia and different stages of piecing in contained areas.

Removing the papers

Don't remove a paper until it has something surrounding it on all sides - the papers are there because it makes it easy to sew a seam together. When it comes to removing them, simply take out your basting stitches and gently pull the paper out, or if you've used glue, you can ease the papers out by warming the glue with an iron. Either way, they tend to come out easily and without damaging your work.

Over to the experts

These are my thoughts as a beginner. I know from some of my regular readers' responses to previous posts about my own adventures with English Paper Piecing that many of you are long-time paper piecers, so if you have your own tips and tricks or links to tutorials and techniques that you think may be useful or could expand on this, then please do share them in the comments.

I've always loathed the expression about skinning cats, so will just say that I love that there's more than one way to peel a satsuma and I'd love to hear about ways other that my own and Kate and other EPP newcomers may too.

Florence x

Ps. I'm really sorry to write one post before responding to the comments to the last - totally the wrong way around, especially when they were so very lovely. I will reply as soon I'm home this evening and thank you for all your kindness - which was so much appreciated. xxxx...xxx...xx...x

Just about everything I make is EPP'd. I love that my stitches show and use contrasting thread to highlight that it is hand stitched. I use size 10 and 12 betweens and would recommend polycotton thread too - the small eyes shred thread and the poly cotton stands up better than cotton, even though the variegated thread I'm using at the moment is cotton rather than shredding it just breaks. I have used silk, cotton velveteen and felt to EPP with - the silk gives as crisp an edge as cotton but the others less so as they have more give.I also use whipstitch as it such a strong stitch - it takes a lot for a seam to unravel - as you discover if you have to unpick anything.

I'm so glad so many people are discovering the joys of EPP - including the members of the EPP Bee I've started.

That's really interesting what you've said about the different substrates - I remember adoring the old quilts made with silk and velvets at the V&A exhibition. Do you think if you used a light interfacing to stabilise the fabrics first it could work?

Because I am a wuss and hexagons scare the life out of me, I have stuck to squares, but now I've read this (and the original blog post that inspired me at Fading Grace, another novice like me) I am considering hexagons. Yesterday I found graph paper online and emailed it to my old man in work to print for me and I have been cutting out 7cm squares as they looked about right for the size I fancied. I've basted a few (not finished the first one yet but liking all my new fabrics too much to wait to start the next one) but I might unpick them now. Today I am going to the fabric shop to see what goodies I can find and if she has a template or even, please god, pre-cut hexies I might change.I love this tutorial, so handy, (although there are bits that are beyond me!)and makes me want to do it even more and not go near the sewing machine yet.Thanks and have a splendid weekend!

If you can do squares, you can definitely do hexagons - good luck! I've tried everywhere to get pre-cut papers locally - it's not something local shops seem to stock. I know that The Quilt Room in Dorking does them by mail order though. x

I haven't done this kind of patchwork for years but you're right - it's ideal for the holidays and I think I shall rifle through my cupboards get going! Thankyou for a brilliant explanation; it must have taken you a while to write this and it's much appreciated.

It was one of those posts that I hadn't intended to write, but the emails suddenly prompted me into action - it never seems quite right to send someone a 3000 word email, but it pains me to give someone advice and miss anything out, so it seemed better to write a blog post!

Thanks so much Florence, I am reading this whilst making a cup of tea on a break from cutting out all my paper shapes. Have sent the husb into town to buy my the right thread and needle supplies! Very excited about having some portable sewing for my holiday.

Great summary! I have also used Milliners needles which are longer- Bryony- Flossy Blossy recommended them, Clover gold eye- they are longer and very good, and Clover gold eye quilting needles which are very short. A lot is down to personal preference and the toughness of your finger tips!

I'll look out for those then (was it not you who recommended the black golds? I'd thought it was during the FQ Twitter chat, but perhaps not). I like the shorts as it feels like your fingers have less work to do - they don't seem to have to travel as far.

Some of the first sewing I did was taking hexagons onto papers for the double bedspread my mother was making - she started it before I was born, and I was done with school before she was done with sewing.

For templates I like the metal ones from Colers ( http://www.colerspatchplates.com/index.php ). I use magazine covers for the papers. A very useful tip my mother passed on is to knot the sewing thread as if finishing off at the end of every straight seam section, even if you're actually just going to turn a corner. That way, if a stitch should pop a decade or so later, the damage isn't going to spread.

My favourite threads (for any kind of sewing) are Mettler, and at the moment I'm using some lovely hand-sewing needles from Sajou that were a very special present.

Have you come across the patchworks of Lucy M Boston (author of the Green Knowe books)? She achieved beautiful effects with careful cutting of pieces.

It's finished and living in California with my brother and sister-in-law now. There are scraps from her childhood dresses in there, from the dresses she sewed as a fashionable young woman in the 1960s, from her father's shirts, and all the clothes she sewed for us as children. I think the only fabric bought specifically for the quilt was the backing.

Well, I went in the fabric shop and bought the batting (?) for my first little experiment, gawd knows what I bought, it looks like it's folded double and I don't know if I'm supposed to use it like that or separate it. I also bought some quilting needles in a handy little eggy pod thing. Oh and one fat quarter. (I have some of the lingo down, get me.)Thing is the women in the shop were right misery gutses and I didn't want to ask them anything because they didn't seem very helpful. They may well have lost me as a customer if I can find another shop near me where the staff are more friendly and helpful.I have decided that for the time being I am sticking to squares, until I feel more confident.Thanks again for this tutorial, it's going to help me a lot, also your other one on making a quilt. Great work!

My Nan taught me to paper piece when I was about 11 - I've been patchworking on and off ever since. I only paper piece for my nearest and dearest - there really is a little bit of love in every stitch. This web page is really useful for printing out shapes http://incompetech.com/graphpaper/trianglehex.html (I think I first discovered it through Lily's Quilts), saves loads of tracing time :-) Patchwork (in my head English Paper piecing IS patchwork for some reason!) is my very favourite summer sewing activity. I have a heap of diamond hexies on the go and a clutch of octogon blocks which I must turn into a thing of some description before September. Looking forward to seeing what you make - and glad you're a convert! xx

I've recently picked up sewing as a hobby and LOVE paper piecing and hand stitching. It feels so satisfying to create something in this way. Do you think your paper piecing adventure will mean you will use the sewing machine less? x

I am also working on 2 Grandma's Flower Grarden Quilts, and a Tumbling Block Quilt made with neck ties that my sister in law started before passing away. I have fallen in love with English Paper Piecing

I liked the site very much. I am also new to english paper piecing. I am making a Grandmother's Flower Garden Quilt for my 2 sons, and finishing a Tumbling Block Quilt my late sister-in law started and gave me to finish out of neckties.

I find your blog so helpful and cheery. Didn't read it as regularly as I should so only caught up with this entry today -- months after you had penned it. Makes me itch to start something small! However my hand sewing leaves a lot to be desired and I always look to see if there is a machine sewing alternative. I wish I had your patience.

I have only just found this blog. Thanks so much for a wonderful article. I am just about to go on maternity leave and wanted a new craft project that I could pick up and put down as and when I had a spare 15 minutes and have been reading books about quilting. This have given me a real push to start NOW. I cant wait. I have some small projects lines up and so will be off to the shops tomorrow to get the last few bits I need. EPP here I come. Thanks again. Melanie xxx

I am brand spankin' new to EPP and am so addicted already! I tried cutting my fabric while holding my cardstock template in my hand and found that my fabric was cut too lean. So, I've switched to plain old squares and made them a bit bigger than is probably necessary. However, I feel like it's kind of like training wheels. :) I can always cut them a bit leaner once I am truly experienced. For now, I'm REALLY enjoying playing with it though. Thank you SO much for sharing your experience with us!

A bubble bath bath every morning after everyone has left the house for work and college and the dog has been walked. I also indulge in lots of lovely smelliest to put in. I have recently started EPP and use cereal packets to make my templates. I had no idea you could get glue pens to help!! I would love to win this goody bag. I do love a draw string bag

Great post! Thank you! I would like to weigh in on thread. I have tried many types and here are my top three: • Superior Kimono Silk is very fine, so fine that is slips too much for my taste. Also quite pricey. • Superior Thread's Bottom Line 60 weight is very strong but tends to twist on me. • Gutermann's Silk thread has the strength on silk, is not so fine that it is hard to work with, holds a tug, and is reasonably priced. Comes in a ton of colors and is now my go-to EPP thread.

Hi, I remember making a cushion this way a long time ago at school, so now my first grandchild is on it's way I have decided to try my hand at a quilt/play mat and my Google search brought you to me :) what an excellent step by step guide, I have now made all my little squares and am off shopping for the thread and needles tomorrow, can I ask how you pad out your quilts? Do I use wadding and if so how do I hold it in place? I'm slightly daunted by the edging too, it seems like a mammoth task to hand stitch a one, anyhow i have another 4 months to complete this project so I will be checking back to your site regularly, thank you!

I think you may find this tutorial really useful, as although the quilt top is constructed in a different way, everything else remains the same in terms of turning it into a quilt: http://flossieteacakes.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/tutorial-how-to-make-patchwork-quilt.html

Have followed the first 3 tutorials and am building a quilt. Started with hexies and have now begun diamonds. Had been itching to do this sort of hand sewing patchwork for as long as I can remember, since seeing those on the beds of my late mother's best friend. I think she may have showed me a part made one and I could never figure out why it had paper in it. All such a mystery.Then about 10 years ago, my daughter went to the US and bought me a little bag of 'fat quarters'.Now at last with a broken foot, i have been forced to sit down and take a break (ha) from my 'day job' as a seat weaver and with the glories of the internet have found everything I need.Unfortunately, I am now addicted and although I have a huge cupboard full of fabric, have had to go and buy more beautiful cotton quilting fabric to feed my addiction. Thank you.

A few of the books/products that I link to on Amazon from my blog contain affiliate links and very occasionally, I'll mention a product that I've been given free of charge. I choose the things that I recommend carefully and my priority is to only share things that I love.

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Hello, my name is Florence. I've now written this blog for over a decade as a record of the things that I make and the thoughts that bobble around in my head while I'm making them. I hope you enjoy reading!

My first book, Flossie Teacakes' Guide to English Paper Piecing, is out in May 2018 and my work also appears in the V&A Museum's book, 'Patchwork & Quilting: A Maker's Guide'. You can find my patterns & tutorials in the left-hand side bar.